On the Grind

Axe to Grind in Hamlet, N.C. (Photo by Matt Ramey for The Assembly)

A Jewish woman from Charlotte and a British-educated Iraqi bought a café in Hamlet. What happened next surprised everyone.

The Forgotten Lessons of the Hamlet Fire

Photo by Logan Cyrus

Thirty years ago, a deadly fire at a chicken-processing plant in a poor North Carolina town prompted a push for employee safety. Now, workplace fatalities in the state are rising, and an Assembly investigation shows a federal agency involved in the tragedy failed to keep its promise.